7/17/2013 10:57 AM PDT

Trayvon Martin is proof that America is just as racist now as it was in 1999 ... when NYC police officers fatally shot a black immigrant named Amadou Diallo -- so says Bruce Springsteen.

Springsteen was performing in Limerick, Ireland Tuesday when he dedicated his song "American Skin (41 Shots)" to George Zimmerman's 17-year-old shooting victim, saying, "We'll send this as a letter back home for justice for Trayvon Martin."

Springsteen famously wrote "American Skin" in 1999, accusing the NYPD officers who shot and killed Amadou Diallo of racism. Among the song's lyrics ... "You can get killed just for living in your American skin"

Trayvon's killer George Zimmerman was acquitted over the weekend of 2nd degree murder and manslaughter. The jury found Zimmerman acted in self-defense.